Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Vacation Fitness Tips Part 2: Easy Ways to Work Exercise Into Your Routine

Vacation is a great time to put
your fitness to the test and
try something new.

The road to vacation is paved with the pounds of well-intentioned travelers who gained weight--even though they swore they'd stick with their exercise routines in the face of eating out, waking up late, imbibing at cocktail hour and sunning all day long. (Sitting in the sun and perspiring does not burn off the previous night's lobster bisque).

If you've been keeping your cardio and strength training up and want to avoid the dreaded vacation bulge, take heart. Taking a trip doesn't mean you need to bring back extra baggage around your midsection (or somewhere even less flattering). Here are some tips to keep you on the straight and narrow waistline.

Create a calendar. Now, many of you may already use a calendar for working out. If you do, be sure to carry that forward onto your vacation. Plan out your days as much as possible. If you have a loose itinerary, that can be tough since you won't know exactly what you'll be doing. In that case, just block out enough time in the day to exercise and stick to it, even if it's a "sleep in lay by the pool read a book watch the sunset with a drink" day. Write down exactly what you plan on doing that day, and stick to it. If you don't already maintain a working calendar, you're in for a treat: you're about to lose more weight and get fitter than you ever thought possible.

Stop thinking like a gym rat or exercise equipment junkie. You can workout anywhere. You don't need a gym to get in shape or stay in shape. And you don't need exercise equipment either. Even if you're traveling to a remote island in the South Pacific, you can find a sturdy tree branch to do pull ups on. Or look for a playground with a swing set or pull up bar. Before you leave on your trip, familiarize yourself with pull and push exercises that use your own body weight. Learn how to properly do lunges and squats, as well as core exercises. Without any equipment at all, you can get a full body workout in.

Since you're staying in a vacation rental, there's likely to be plenty of room. Or, find a nearby park, or workout on the beach. These days, you're not likely to get very many odd looks. In fact, you'll probably encounter other people trying to stay fit. Do you bike and run at home? The running on vacation will be heavenly. You can simply rent a bike to get your biking in. If you use exercise DVDs at home, simply bring them along. And if you've never used exercise bands before (they fit in you suitcase and take up hardly any room), then you're in for a real treat.

Try something new. See the photo above? Windsurfing burns calories and gives you an upper and lower body workout. A vacation can be a great time to mix up your exercise routine. While you should be physically fit to try unfamiliar, strenuous activities, they can be an excellent way to stay fit and try something new, both at the same time. Skiing, hiking, swimming are all fantastic, fun activities that will get your heart rate going. You don't have to windsurf or ski every day, either. Just a day or two of a challenging sport will help you leave a few pounds behind but take great vacation memories home with you.

Simply put, there's no excuse not to continue your exercise regiment while you're on vacation. And nothing equals the feeling of coming back from a fantastic vacation, hopping on the scale, and seeing that you actually lost weight.

Simply put, there's no excuse not to continue your exercise regiment while you're on vacation. And nothing equals the feeling of coming back from a fantastic vacation, hopping on the scale, and seeing that you actually lost weight.